Holster Materials & Maintenance

I only use hand selected, premium grade, full-grain, US grown, vegetable-tanned steer hides, which come from Thoroughbred Leather in Louisville, Kentucky and Wickett & Craig in Curwensville, Pennsylvania. Vegetable tanning involves only non-hazardous organic materials, unlike other methods that use heavy metals. Thoroughbred Leather and Wickett & Craig tan the finest quality leather I have found here in the United States for making gun gear.

For holsters, mag pouches, and other items that require hand bone forming, I use the shoulder area of the hide. The shoulder leather is more pliable and accepts forming much better than the other parts of the hide. For belts, I use the back and butt area of the hide. This area is the strongest part of the hide and is more resistant to stretch than the shoulder.

I only use #346 polyester bonded thread in all my products. Polyester thread does not stretch like nylon. I use bonded polyester because of its strength and resistance to UV light, sweat, chemicals, and rot. Before the final finish is applied, it’s rubbed with a light coat of oil. All of my products are finished with a water based satin acrylic compound to completely seal the leather.

Maintenance

Do Not submerge or saturate your leather gear in water or any other liquid.

Do Not dry your leather product with heat from a hair dryer, oven, radiator, direct sunlight, etc. if for some reason you are on an armed swimming operation.

Do Not use oils such as Neat’s-foot, Mink oil, or any other oil as they will saturate and soften the leather too much. I have oiled and sealed the leather prior to the final finish.

Do Not leave your leather gear on the dashboard of your car in summer, or leave it otherwise exposed to the elements.

A tight new holster is much preferred over a loose one. If your draw is stiff at first, I recommend you work with it to see if it doesn't loosen up with a bit of use. Anywhere from 30 to 50 presentations will tell you whether the holster will break in on its own or if may need a little assistance. There are many reasons why a holster would be excessively tight, variances in manufacturer’s tolerances, the pistol’s finish, humidity, etc. Not to worry, you can easily remedy an excessively tight holster. Get the 4-mil Zip-lock bag I send the holster in, insert the unloaded gun in the bag, carefully insert the bagged gun all the way into the holster, and allow it to sit overnight. All this is doing is stretching the leather a very slight amount.